On Understanding the Fullness of Life

This post was originally published on MaszWybor.

“Here is a drunken man falling from a cart: though the cart gallops on, he is not killed. His bones and joints are the same as other people’s, yet his resistance to injury is different from others [because his spiritual element] is complete.

He does not know that he is riding on a cart, nor that he has fallen; fear of death nor dread of life do not penetrate his breast - this is why without fear he faces [external] things.

This man attained his completeness through wine and see what he is like - what of one who attains completeness in Heaven [Nature]!

The sage dwells in Heaven [Nature], therefore nothing [external] can harm him.”

~ Zhuangzi

This text is an example of allegory. In this allegory, the drunken man on the cart is a metaphor for people who live fully, without fear or worry. They are not attached to external circumstances or the fear of death, which allows them to face life with an open heart and mind.

“Achieving completeness through wine” is a symbol of acceptance of reality as it is, including self-acceptance - both of one’s good and bad sides. It is attaining a state of harmony with nature and oneself, where nothing external can do harm.

“Achieving completeness in Heaven [Nature]” means reaching a state of full unity with the surrounding world, alignment with nature, and understanding its laws.

“The sage dwells in Heaven [Nature]” is a metaphor for attaining full wisdom, harmony, and unity with nature. The sage who has reached this state is immune to external negative influences.

In the context of spirituality broadly understood, such a text aims to convey a moral or spiritual lesson. In this case, the lesson concerns attaining a state of full acceptance of oneself and one’s place in the world, as well as achieving a state of unity with nature and understanding its laws.

It is worth striving for this state - but only until you realize that “striving” is the opposite of this state, because there is nothing to strive toward. It is a state of acceptance. :)

Good luck. Khera and Theran